Rating: 
Summary: WHERE'S MAD MAX?
Review: Elspeth Gordie has grown up in a world much different than ours. After a nuclear war called "The Great White" which made much of the world unliveable, only the most remote areas were spared. As refugees poured in from the radioactive areas, these people banded into a powerful confederation called The Council and slaughtered any contaminated humans. Even those killings weren't enough, for later, babies were born mutated, and to overcome the revulsion of killing the infants, a religious order was founded, The Herder Faction. As happens in human history, religion is used to hide atrocities and horror. The Herders over time make people believe that The Great White and all its horrors were punishements visited down by God, or as the call him, Lud. They forbid all the technology and customs of the old world. Any who oppose them are branded Seditioners and burned. A new problem has arisen in that there are secret mutants walking among them. Ones whose powers do not show themselves. Elspeth Gordie is one such hidden mutant. She has extremely powerful telepathy, allowing her to read minds,to even control other people if she wills it, and even talk to animals. She has to conceal them though, especially since her brother is trying to fit into the Herders. They are already seen as suspicious since their parents were put to death for Sedition. A problem arises with the arrival of Madame Vega. She is a keeper at Obernewtyn, a remote mountain facility where supposedly hidden mutants, or Misfits, can be cured. The scary part about it is that noone ever returns from Obernewtyn. In a dumb mistake, Elspeth reveals her powers, and is forced to go there. It is there that she will learn the truth about the past. She will also learn how to save the future. I enjoyed this book. The setting was pretty imaginative and the characters were excellent. It's pretty timely for our world too. I mean you can't help seeing Islamic Jihadists in the repressive and terroristic ways of the Herders. The world of Obernewtyn is a world not allowed to go forward because they reject their past. When religion becomes a tool of fear, you know the culture is in trouble. It also reminded me of the Spanish Inquistion and atmosphere of the Salem Witch Trials. All religions have known their savageries.
Rating: 
Summary: SUPERB SERIES -- COULDN'T PUT DOWN EACH BOOK!
Review: This is an unusually well-written series, with unique characters and a fascinating story line. Isobelle Carmody is a gifted writer. I have read a lot of fantasy/scifi, and often the plots or aspects of the plot are similar from one book to another (find a portal, travel to another world/time, etc). This series is not only creatively different, it is thought-provoking. I could not put down each book in the series, reading late into the night (which I usually avoid doing). I will not recapitulate the plot here, because so many others have done so. I do want to contradict one of the reviewers that was cited on the cover of the second book of the series (Farseekers), who stated that the book was likely more appropriate for adolescent females. I am 45, and I have found this series to be one of my all-time favorites. Order your copy of Obernewtyn today, and set some time aside!
Rating:
Summary: A Gulag of Misfits
Review: Obernewtyn is the first novel in the Obernewtyn series. Death fell from the skies during the Great White, leaving lingering radiation and chemical destruction over much of the land. During the Age of Chaos, those fortunate enough to live on untainted land ruthlessly slaughtered refugees who poured from the cities. Thereafter, mutations among men and beast were frequent, so the Council decreed that any who born with abnormalities were to be burned. The Herder Faction, a fledging religious order who worshipped Lud, were appointed to perform the burnings. Gradually the law and dogma fused to condemn all technology other than simple farm implements. Later the Herder Faction announced that some mental aberrations did not show at birth, but manifested later. These mutants were called Misfits. In this novel, Elspeth Gordie is a Misfit who has been raised in orphanages following the execution of her parents for Sedition. Now she and her brother, Jes, are residents of the Kinraide orphan home. Jes has just become a Herder assistant and wants to advance in the Herder Faction, but this career would be ruined if she is accused of being a Misfit. She cannot have any friends, due to the danger to herself and them, except Maruman, the mutant cat. Maruman has visions, once telling her that the mountains will call for her. Another time he confessed that a Guanette bird had told him that his destiny was twinned with hers. For the rest of the time he was haughty, conceited, full of opinions about everything. Maruman was instrumental in discovering the extent of her telepathic powers; one day she scared away a bird that Maruman was stalking and Maruman said a rude comment into her mind and she responded in kind. Every since then, she has been bonded with Maruman. Maruman predicted that a "darkOne" would come from the mountains seeking her. Elspeth knew the mountains meant Obernewtyn, the most remote work farm. An ancient institution in the Western Mountains, Obernewtyn accepted only the worst afflicted of the Misfits and those Misfits sent there were never heard of again. The Obernewtyn keeper arrived three days later. Madame Vega detects some small part of Elspeth's ability, but that is enough to send her to Obernewtyn. There she meets other Misfits, the working staff, and the supervising triumvirate: Alexi, Ariel, and Madame Vega. Later, she meets the nominal director, Doctor Seraphim. This post-apocalyptic novel is much like Norton's The Stars Are Ours in several respects, including theocratic restrictions by the government and underground resistance to those repressions. Moreover, there is the element of hope at the end. Subsequent volumes in this series further develop the mental powers aspect as well as the the role of the mutated animals. Recommended for Norton fans and anyone who enjoys a well-crafted novel of suspense and adventure in a SF setting.
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